BILS with the support of Oxfam Bangladesh organized a half day event of the occasion of International Women’s Day 2020 on March 15, 2020 at Monipuripara, Tejgaon, Dhaka.

An art competition was organized for the school going children, along with a discussion meeting with the community people to raise awareness regarding domestic workers’ rights and a street drama focusing on the vulnerabilities and claims of rights of the domestic workers.

The programme was presided by local community leader Mahfuzul Alam, while General Secretary of Monipuripara Welfare Society Sajjadul Islam was present as chief guest. DWRN Member Promila Podder moderated the programme.  Among others, Md. Yousuf Al-Mamun, project coordinator (SRDW Project); Shahariyer Hossen, Sr. Advocacy Officer and S. M. Kamruzzaman Fahim, Monitoring officer was present there.

A total of 20 children took part in the art competition and drew a number of pictures for depicting the attitudes of the society/family/individuals towards the domestic workers. Creating a positive image of a domestic worker in the children’s mind and demonstrating their thought towards the society were the objectives of the art competition.

Afterward, a discussion meeting was organized with the community leaders and employers of domestic workers’ to make an effort to change the attitudes of the society towards the domestic work and the domestic workers and to establish a positive mind for them as well. In the discussion community leaders and the employers of the domestic workers said that domestic workers are one of the most vulnerable groups who are extremely deprived of their rights in the society. The role of a domestic worker in a family as an assisting person was recognized by almost everyone in the discussion. The discussants unanimously acknowledged that it is impossible for a city dwelling family to think without a domestic worker and that is why attitudes of the employers and the society towards the domestic workers must be positive.

The event ended with a street drama which demonstrates the situation of violation of Rights and the role of a domestic worker to a city dweller family with a view to create a positive image of the workers towards the community people.